Top Clicks

Follow me on Twitter

Month: December 2015

In an effort not to have you scroll on by, I’ll use the Manosphere.com aggregate-blog-post-preview to let you know that there won’t be any content about ‘Keeping Up With The…’ or ‘The Real House…’ or any other crap like that.

Still here? Good.

The ‘celebrities’ I’m talking about are the type of public figures that guys like me go nuts for. That would almost make me want to scream like a tween who just saw Beiber or TheWeeknd get out of their limo. Almost.

The men that I admire are in the spotlight constantly. They have their own ‘media empire’ or ‘personal brand’ that they promote.

The ideas and lifestyles that these men promote are far more enriching and interesting – to the mind and spirit – than any of the other ones you see in the mainstream outlets.

Notice I said ‘mainstream’.

With mainstream comes a bit of PC. I get that. But the basics of the content of what these guys know is what I’m interested in.

Their ideas span across the entire spectrum of science and culture.

From personal/self-improvement and autodidactism to astrophysics and the mind.

These men are writers, authors, thinkers, pundits, comedians and some are even doctors.

After reading this list I think you’ll find a new favorite celebrity of your own.

Grab some coffee, food, weed, whatever you need, and sit back and enjoy.

DCL’s Favorite Celebrities:

David Eagleman – Born April 25, 1971 (age 44), Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.

David is a neuroscientist, author and now TV show host.

Some books of his include, Incognito: The Secret Lives of Brains, The Brain with David Eagleman and has been featured numerous times in John Brockman’s Edge.org book series (highly recommended book series).

David Eagleman’s work was one of the first things to introduce me to the idea of the ‘unconscious mind’ and the powerful influence it has on our daily lives.

He also introduced me to a concept known as umwelt. An umwelt is the reality in which you are engulfed.

Think of it this way – an insect has a different umwelt then a human being. Us humans have our five senses to detect our surroundings within our umwelt. An insect uses different peripheral devices (like the antennas on an ant) to detect it’s surroundings within its umwelt.

Some books of his include: Death by Black Hole : And Other Cosmic Quandaries, Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier (I have not read either one) and has been included in the Edge.org book series as well.

Neil has this way of being very dramatic while explaining his understanding of the cosmos. This may turn some people off. Not me. I can’t think of a better way of expressing those cosmic ideas.

Neil became a TV host of the re-make series called, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. If you like planets, space, physics, and the mind, I suggest that you check it out.

Neil deGrasse Tyson also has a Podcast called StarTalk Radio. I’ve listened to about 10 episodes. It’s an interesting mix of science, pop-culture and comedy.

Like David Eagleman, Neil is what I would call a ‘science promoter’. That’s a person who is in the public eye speaking out about esoteric state/national policies regarding science education and religious doctrines in schools. He also talks about general public science promotion.

Some of his books include: A Letter To A Christian Nation, Free Will, The Moral Landscape, Lying and Waking Up.

It’s hard to pin point exactly who it was that was my first introduction to the idea of being ‘lost in though‘. I started reading and watching all these guys’ work at about the same time. Around the age of 25.

But Sam’s work in regards to the brain/mind has been perhaps the most influential to me when it comes to pondering my own personal beliefs and habits.

I recommend his book Waking Up. If you’re a young adult trying to find his spiritual way, and at the same time don’t want to believe in a deity to do so, this book is for you.

Sam Harris is probably the most controversial person on this list. His views regarding Radical Islam and religion in general make him a target for constant ridicule in the media and vulnerable to death threats in real life.

Silva, like Neil, is very ‘out there’ when it comes to expressing his ideas.

Jason has this cool ability to be able to pull quotes out of, what seems like, thin air. He’s like a philosophical-evangelical being given divine knowledge, in real time, by higher beings. He makes these complex ideas, about the universe and the mind, flow smoothly within his fast-paced verbal barrages.

But what you may not know is that he also started a video campaign called, Shots of Awe – short videos containing “trailers of the mind” which “serve as philosophical espresso shots exploring innovation, technology creativity, futurism and the metaphysics of the imagination.” (quote from his website)

Jason is a relatively young man when you compare him to the rest of the list. But I think this actually helps with getting his information across to young people.

Young people these days can be turned off by any old man with a white beard telling them what’s what (I’m looking at you Dennet).

Les is not like Bear Grylls or that other goober whose name escapes me. Unlike those guys who claim to know what their doing, Les actually gets his crew to drop him off in some area, with a camera and some random things for him to use to help him survive by himself… for seven days.

It’s hard to pick my favorite episode, they’re all good. But there was something that stuck with me, a survival tool/technique/mindset called ‘zones of assessment.’

Zones of Assessment is a way to assess a dangerous situation. It’s a way to help make sure you don’t freak out because you’re lost and stranded somewhere.

Zone 1. What’s Immediately On You?

Zone 2. What’s Right Around You?

Zone 3. What Kind Of Area Are You In?

This is a haggard version of it as I don’t quite remember the details. But I’m sure you get the idea. Let Les guide you through it.

Les reminds me of my time out in the wilderness in my youth. I was part of Beavers, Scouts and when I was a bit older, I did some camping excursions in Algonquin National Park and Kilarney National Park. Nothing to the extent of what Les does, but challenging nonetheless (if you count drinking beer, smoking dope, portaging, canoeing and having a fun time).

I’m sure most, if not all of you, are familiar with the PowerfulJRE (his podcast). His podcast guests are from many different disciplines and professions.

The guests on his show have different opinions then his own. He gives them a platform to present their arguments. That said, he’s certainly not afraid to stand up for himself and others.

I quite enjoyed his talk with Milo Yiannopoulos. Even though I’m a new fan of Milo’s, I tend to agree with Joe, that Milo is probably a third real talk, a third bullshit and a third trolling. I’m still not sure.

Joe (unofficially) speaks for the masses. I imagine a good portion of the North American population has the same sentiments he has towards popular current issues.

He doesn’t pander too much to one side of the aisle (although I’d say he’s centrist-left). One of the cool things I enjoy about his comedy is that when he delivers a joke, and then if the audience boos or complains, he’ll call them out for being pussies and too uptight. They love him for it.

As much as I like these scientists, comedians, TV hosts and other interesting men, it’s so damn unfortunate that they don’t have better websites/blogs. I happen to agree with Mike. I bet they would have an even more dedicated group of fans and followers if they had a blog they updated once a week.

Thanks for sticking it out. Like I said, after reading this I think you’ll find a new favorite celebrity of your own.

I know I missed some people. If you can think of any current interesting figures, feel free to let us know in the comments. You can leave links to videos, blogs, twitter accounts, essays, scientific papers, anything for the new-age autodidact.